A while back in independent study, one of the JagWire editors-in-chief, senior Tori Aerni, told me about her plans to buy makeup later that day. She came to me for advice, ready to spend money on nice products without really knowing what exactly she was looking for. Bless her little heart, she inspired me to create a list of recommended products for any budget based on ones I have in my own personal makeup collection.

Primer

First, you’re going to want to look for a primer. There are facial primers for concealer and foundation and eyeshadow primers for eyeshadows, obviously. What it does is prep your skin so the rest of your makeup goes on easier and lasts longer. I’d consider it a luxury more so than a necessity, so skip purchasing it if your budget is super tight.

If you’re broke but still interested in using a primer, look to the miracle make-shift primer you most likely already have in your house: vaseline. Use just a teeny tiny dab and rub it together on your hands before applying it under your eyes, under your eyebrows and anywhere else in need of a moisturizing glow. If your skin has oily tendencies, avoid areas like your nose and the center of your forehead. Apply makeup over vaseline.

After my impulse Neutrogena purchases I talked about in a previous post, I’m now well-versed in the strengths and weaknesses of their products — and their primers are most definitely a strength. Neutrogena healthy skin primer is a steal too, I got mine at Walmart for only $10. I apply it under my eyes and over any redness or acne before applying my makeup.

If you’re taking senior pictures soon and/or an avid selfie taker and/or you have money to burn, I highly recommend Smashbox photo finish primer from Ulta. I like to call it ‘real-life photoshop’ because it diminishes the appearance of pores and reduces shine. It’s a little pricey though — $16 for the .5 oz travel size and $27 for the 1 oz full size. If you use the travel size on a daily basis, it should last you about a month.

Lastly, my favorite. Urban Decay primer potion is a godsend for those who wear eyeshadow on a regular basis. It makes your eyeshadow look bolder, last longer and prevents those annoying little creases you get after a long day. I got mine at Sephora for $26, but I’m finding it online right now for $17 (and feeling very ripped off).

Foundation

Next is foundation. Personally, I use a liquid foundation because I like the coverage it provides. It’s not for everybody though. I only recently started wearing it because my skin has taken a turn for the worst in recent months.  It can be a pain — colors are hard to match (especially  if you’re brown). Foundation can look and feel caked on your skin and it can stain clothes if you’re not careful. Nevertheless, I wear it because I dig the look of even, single-toned skin.

The Neutrogena healthy skin line has become my go to, as mentioned before. Their foundation is cheap, only $10. However, the coverage is subpar and the colors are super hard to match. Hence, I’ve been wearing foundation 3 tones too dark ever since school started and my tan faded.

Sephora’s 10 hour wear perfection foundation is perfect, as to be expected, as well as expensive (as to be expected). The .84 oz bottle is $20.

Whatever brand you decide on, make sure to use your neck as a reference point (as opposed to your hand) when deciding on a shade.

Concealer

Concealer helps cover under eye bags, redness, acne or any other blemishes. Not everyone needs it, but it’s nice to have around in the event of an unexpected blemish or the morning after a sleepless night.

Neutrogena skin-clearing blemish concealer is $8.65 for a .05 oz stick. It lasts as long as you’d expect five one hundredths of an ounce to last, however, there’s enough variety to match and provide adequate coverage for a variety of skin tones.

I did my own makeup for Mill Valley’s prom last year which called for a total Sephora splurge. I spent $32 on Makeup Forever full cover concealer. It was definitely pricey, but it lasted from pictures to dinner to dance to after prom.

Eyebrow products

Good eyebrow products are extremely hard to come by but unbelievably vital. I don’t understand why some people are convinced that smaller eyebrows are better eyebrows. Waxing cannot solve everyone’s problems. Trimming, tweezing, brushing and filling are what it takes for your brows to be on fleek, nowadays.

Personally, I’m down for paying more for brow grooming products because brows are my favorite feature. I use $25 Tweezerman stainless steel tweezers I got from Sephora, a spoolie brush from Beauty Brands for $8 and a pair of eyebrow scissors I got for $10 from a CVS kit. Basic eyebrow kits — brow scissors, spoolie brushes and tweezers can be found at CVS for less than $10.

For those unfamiliar with spoolie brushes, they’re the ones that look like naked mascara wands. You use them to brush your eyebrow hairs up before trimming or to distribute product evenly.

Filling is where most of the challenge lies. Do not mistake filling in with “drawing on fake eyebrows” — you’re just making your eyebrows darker and bolder, the same thing mascara does for lashes. (P.S. If I ever hear the word “fake” in regards to makeup, someone’s going to get slapped. There’s nothing fake about makeup.)

I use the Urban Decay Naked basics palette because the colors are matte and true to my natural hair color. I also use an angled eyebrow brush from Sephora which keeps the shape of my eyebrows as natural looking as possible without the brush bristle-fallout of cheap brushes. I paid $27 for the palette and $15 for the brush but I’ve had both for a year and a half and they’re still going strong.

For additional tips and browspiration, I follow LA based makeup artist/brow goddess @KelleyBakerBrows on Instagram. She posts tons of tutorials and has her own line of super simple products specifically aimed at teaching beginners.

Eyeshadow

I went through a hardcore eyeshadow phase last year. I wore bold eyes for work on a regular basis. This look isn’t practical for everyone, but if you buy a versatile enough palette you can have a variety of looks for for different occasions for a reasonable price.

The Nudes by Maybelline palette is $12 from any drugstore or Walmart and has super natural beige-brown tones. Personally, I’m not a fan of the applicator that comes with it so I recommend E.L.F. brushes which you can get at Target for less than $3. I don’t use cheap brushes myself because I don’t like the bristles shedding all over my face, but I think they’re better than those gross little spongy applicators.

My favorite eyeshadow palettes of all time are the Urban Decay Naked palettes. They’re extremely expensive — the basic palette comes with six colors and is $27, and the Naked Smoky palette and palettes 1, 2, 3, which include 12 colors, are $54 each.

The basic palette is good for filling in brows or for use in combination with other colors. I have the first of the two basics palettes and I’m in love with it. I also have the Naked Smoky palette and the Naked 3 palette. I don’t like the Smoky palette as much just because half the palette is dark and I rarely use dark colors for my eyes. However it includes two shimmery metallic shades that are to die for. Lastly, the rosy-hued Naked 3 palette is perfection, hence why I skipped palettes and 1 and 2 and went straight for the third.

Mascara

Mascara is the one beauty product I will spare no expense on. Ever since sophomore year when I stopped wearing glasses I no longer had to worry about my eyelashes touching my lenses and speckling them with mascara. To make up for lost time, I wear it daily.

Without a doubt, my favorite mascara is Roller Lash by Benefit. I have naturally pin straight eyelashes and normally I would have to curl them everyday which, in my opinion, does not create a look I like. Roller Lash was designed to mimic the effect of hair rollers and I think it nails it. It keeps my eyelashes curled for the entire day for only $24 at Sephora.

I read somewhere that combining different mascaras at once combines their effects. I think it’s true and if you feel like testing it, I recommend Roller Lash to lengthen and curl, Lash Domination by Bareminerals ($18, Sephora) for volume and Immortal Lash by Kat Von D ($20, Sephora) to separate and define eyelashes.

Setting products

Last but certainly not least, are setting products. To “set” your makeup is to use a product that goes over your makeup when you’re done to make it last longer and keep it from fading.

Walmart sells a really good pressed powder from Rimmel for less than $5. It’s great for those with oily skin because It keeps your face matte and shine-free. I use the translucent shade because the darker one looked weird with my skin tone. Because the pressed powder is so light though, I like to supplement it with a bronzer. I forget the specific brand, but you can get one at CVS for less than $10.

Lastly, Urban Decay All Nighter makeup setting spray ($30, Sephora) is a luxury more so than a necessity but undoubtedly a miracle worker. I wrote another post about about it around homecoming, and I still think it’s amazing.

If you actually made it through this whole list, kudos to you. Never be afraid to spoil yourself every once in awhile, but never let Sephora employees coerce you into purchasing things you don’t need. Don’t let their perfect brows and masterfully contoured faces intimidate you. Refer to this list and shop with a products in mind, even in you’re just hitting up the makeup aisle at Walmart.